Pennsylvania Criminal Defense

A PFA is a protective order that someone files when they fear harm from another person. The PFA stipulates that the respondent may not approach, contact, or communicate in any way with the petitioner. These types of orders...

Domestic violence is one of the most devastating crimes facing our country today. It rips apart families, and it destroys everyone involved on physical, emotional, and mental levels. When you add alcohol and drugs into the mix,...

When it comes to domestic abuse, one of the biggest issues on the docket is the incidence of re-offenders. Many people accused of domestic violence go on to re-abuse. If you’ve been accused of domestic violence, the odds are...

Expungement is a process that erases past criminal convictions from the court system. Details vary by state, but there are several types of crimes that can be expunged, including shoplifting, disorderly conduct, drug...

If you have the PFA filed against you, you have an order against you that prohibits you from contacting in any way the petitioner who filed for the order. A PFA is a court order that protects the petitioner from harm from the...

Dating is one of the most exciting times of life. It’s an opportunity to meet someone new, engage in activities the both of you like, and possibly work towards building a future together. What if you have a PFA on your...

When someone is convicted of a crime, the record of that crime goes on their public record. This can be a very difficult situation for many people who are trying to get past mistakes that they’ve made in the past. Past crime...

A Protection From Abuse Order, or PFA, is a civil proceeding in Pennsylvania that protects a plaintiff from communication and harassment by a defendant. It is similar to a restraining order that a judge issues when they believe...

When Bianca Finizio Rudolph went on an overseas safari trip with her husband Lawrence, she didn’t know that it would end in her untimely death. The Pennsylvania couple, who describe themselves as big game hunters, traveled...

Recently, the Pennsylvania State Board of Pardons returned a split decision regarding the clemency of 42-year-old inmate, Felix Ocasio. Twenty-two years ago, Ocasio was sentenced to between about 39 years and 78 years behind bars,...

When should an individual seek clemency for the crime they were convicted of? It might surprise you to learn that the leader of a large drug organization is actively seeking clemency from the state of Pennsylvania. At first...

Pennsylvania Protection from Abuse Orders (PFAs) are put into place by Pennsylvania judges. That said, just because the PFA was made in a Pennsylvania court doesn’t mean it won’t apply to people who live out of state....

Marsy’s Law is a law that originated in California and has since been adopted in numerous states. Advocates of Marsy’s Law seek to provide victims of crimes with rights equal to those accused of committing the crime....

Protection from Abuse Orders (PFAs) are meant to protect victims of domestic violence in emergency situations. Those who have a PFA ordered against them may be subject to any number of restrictions that will severely impact their...

The local Pittsburgh news recently reported that the Greene County DA’s wife took out a Protection from Abuse Order (PFA) against him. In arguing for the PFA, the wife accused her husband of abusing his family after becoming...

Now that the courts have sealed or expunged your criminal records, your employment prospects and other opportunities should have improved immensely. But commercial online websites may have already harvested mugshots and arrest...

“Clean Slate” Law Offers Second Chance You did the crime. You did the time. You paid restitution to your victims. Should you be burdened with a criminal record for the rest of your life? That depends upon the nature of the...

Accused does not mean guilty. Temporary protection from abuse (PFA) orders are usually based solely on the plaintiff’s ex parte allegations. The defendant has the right to dispute those allegations at a PFA hearing. Men are...

Part One: Two PFAs That Failed to Protect There is no such thing as a bulletproof restraining order. It’s “just a piece of paper,” according to Circuit Court Judge Marissa McDermott of Lake County, Illinois. “In...

What are you in prison for? For being stupid. Daniel Justin Miller, 47, of Williamsport, PA, is going to have a long time to regret his decision to violate the protection from abuse (PFA) order he received on December 1st. Instead...